Chicagoing: La Farine Bakery

I had been excitedly waiting for this neighborhood bakery to open, and we were finally able to check it out over the weekend.
The owner, Rida Shahin, has immersed himself in the art of ancient breadmaking to make amazing artisan bread and other baked goods. They have been supplying bread from some of the best restaurants in Chicago, including: Blackbird, Hot Chocolate, and bin wine cafe, and it was only recently that they've made their goods available to the public.
I was excited to test out my new Gary Fisher Simple City bicycle basket by loading up with some fresh baked goods.
They had an amazing selection of breads, quiches, and pastries:
We tried a chocolate croissant, chocolate mousse cup, and mango mousse. The chocolate mousse was just ok, but the mango mousse was amazing.We tried both the pretzel bread and the ciabatta bread. Both were incredible; we're excited to try the ciabatta with our flights of grilled cheese.
This huge piece of broccoli quiche was only $4-5; it was even better than the quiche at Hoosier Mama.
We loaded up my basket with a couple of croissants, a small banana cream pie, we have yet to try, and an entire ciabatta loaf. Between La Farine and Hoosier Mama Chicago Avenue is turning into quite the destination baked goods street.

Chicagoing: Family Walk

On Sunday mornings we've starting taking "family walks" where we all walk together to our favorite bakery. La Farine makes the most amazing ciabatta bread; they are the supplier for many of the top restaurants in Chicago. We've been picking up some rolls, their amazing homemade caramelized onion and spicy cheese spreads, and some sweets from their rotating selection. It makes us feel quite European enjoying a Sunday continental breakfast complete with strawberries and orange juice.
Mr. B. enjoys the walks because he gets to help out. He brings his backpack so he's able to carry our groceries home. Here he is proudly carrying the goods:
This walk detours from our typical route, and I was thinking about all the things I notice, and how it must be so different from the what the pooches see at their level. As I was walking, I was noticing
Free Internet at one of our favorite pizza places:
A plethora of huge churches:

Fine details on buildings from 1905:And tagging on new construction:From the pooches' perspective I imagine they were seeing:
Huge toys they can't reach:
Mysteries on fire hydrants:
Remnants of dogs who passed by here first:Fine smells on buildings from 1905:E's shoes and Mr B's buttock:Crowds waiting for brunch meaning opportunities to be petted.Discovering freshly baked bread at eye-level.What else do you think they're really seeing that we're all missing?

Living European With Dogs: Eating Local, Inspiration from Paris

 One of the reasons we started our How to Be a Tourist with Your Dog series was because we were planning on taking a summer vacation with our dogs. And we got a lot of amazing advice. But just as we were about to plan our trip, I happened upon one of those amazing airfare deals that are always too good to be true--but this time it really was true.
So we were lucky enough to spend the last 2 weeks traveling in Copenhagen, Paris and Italy.
While we had an amazing time exploring and trying to live like locals, I think the true value of traveling is recognizing something interesting and valuable about another culture and thinking about how to incorporate a similar experience into our everyday lives. So we've been inspired to recreate these experiences back home, and with our dogs.

 One of the things we really liked about Paris was the fresh food and how everybody bought locally. It seems everyone goes grocery shopping every day, which is super easy because all the stores are located next to eachother. Each couple of blocks there would be a clustering of a bakery, cheese store, butcher, fish store, fruit market and wine store.

We liked seeing how the locals seemed to have such a great relationship with their local vendors, and the idea of getting fresh food that is sustainable and helps support the local community.

We loved how it was so easy to pop in and grab a baguette, go next door to choose some cheeses, then go to the next shop for a battle of wine and head to the park for an impromptu picnic:

Since this was one of our favorite parts of our travels, we thought it would be fun to do this in Chicago with our dogs. It's also important to us to buy locally to support growth in our neighborhood. So we loaded up the pooches, Mr. B grabbed his backpack and we all headed out.

Our first stop was Butcher & Larder butcher shop. Butcher & Larder is locally sourced and cut to order. Sometimes they even throw in a knucklebone for the pooches. Here are the pooches trying to peer inside:

Our next stop was to pick up some wine at the wine store. We are lucky enough to have 2 neighborhood wine stores located quite close. Lush Wine & Spirits and The Noble Grape. We actually stopped in both stores, and both stores allowed the pooches to come in. Which may have been a bit overwhelming for Miss M, given her drinking problem. Both stores were quite helpful in describing and helping us choose a wine.

Next we headed over to our favorite local bakery La Farine. The owner has immersed himself in the art of bread baking and supplies bread for some of the top restaurants in Chicago. They make the most amazing ciabatta rolls. We also picked up a baguette because what can be more cartoon-stereotypical than a baguette sticking out of your grocery backpack?

Finally, we stopped by Hoosier Mama Pie Company.  They're this tiny little shop that serves amazing pie. They're so good they've been featured in Bon Appetit; plus, they have 'flights of pie slices' each Friday. Our all time favorite is the peanut butter pie with gingersnap crust and the chocolate creme pie.

On weekends we are even able to swing by the Farmer's Market to pick up fresh produce and some cheese and picnic in the park. The best part is that we are able to include our dogs, and Mr. B gets a 'job' by carrying the backpack. And this is something we can do on an everyday basis.

Chicagoing: Chicago Marathon Weekend Prep

It's finally race week! This weekend I'll be running my 7th Chicago Marathon.
It's usually around this time that I start to have the nightmares. First, the one about how I missed the race--this almost happened one year when the cab I called didn't show up, and I only arrived at the race a mere 10 minutes before the start. The one where I forget something really important--which really did happen my last race when I forgot my timing chip and ran as a "ghost runner". And the one where I can't figure out where to run--this never actually happened.
The marathon will be this Sunday where they're projecting a sunny and steamy 81 degree day. This will be perfect for the 1 million spectators, but not so ideal for the 40,000 runners.
The pooches have diligently been helping me prepare. Mr. B. loaded up his backpack and we've been making daily pit stops at La Farine: the best bread bakery in all of Chicago. Friday is actually the most important time to carbo-load, but I've been eating bread throughout the day and accompanying my pasta.

Miss M is all about helping me with the additional eating and drinking. I learned not to eat many proteins for 3 days before the race; they take longer to process in your system and you don't want anything in your stomach after all that heavy pounding. I also increase my salt intake to balance all the extra water I'm drinking.

I don't do much running in the days right before the race, but I'm still stretching on the Yoga Mat so I don't get tight. Luckily Miss M is all about being my yoga brick.

 And most importantly, the pooches will be serving as my "markers" during the race. See, some spectators bring balloons or signs so they stand out among the crowd and their runner can find them. Some of the markers look similar, so it's hard to tell who you're looking for, but I know I will be able to pick my two pitties out of the crowd. Plus, it's another chance for them to wear a costume.

I actually didn't know anything about marathoning before I went to watch the marathon one year. It's amazing to see everyone, from older people, to bigger people, to a severely pregnant woman, to people in full mascot gear running the race. I figured if they could do it, I didn't have an excuse. And 7 years later, I'm still running. The best part of the Chicago Marathon route is that it really does wind its way through the entire city where the diversity and community support are amazing. From the male cheerleaders in Boystown, the mariachi bands in Pilsen, and the dancing dragons in Chinatown it's definitely enough to keep me entertained for the entire 26 miles. Anyone planning on going out to watch?

Chicagoing: The Dog-walking Dessert Tour

I recently found out our neighborhood has become an official tourist destination. While most tourists don't venture far from the downtown area, with several nationally recognized restaurants right on our block, we've noticed many tourists making the 2 mile trek--mostly via cab.They also just named the Michelin Awards, which is supposed to be a really big deal for restaurants. They actually sneak out in the night and spray paint a stencil of the Michelin man to let them know they won.
Since we are always out walking the pooches, we've gotten to know some of the most efficient routes for sampling the best wares on our street, plus, I love reading tour books' one day itinerary, so here is our version of a dog-walking dessert tour in Chicago.
We start at Black Dog Gelato.

This nondescript storefront has bright green benches, but loads of amazing gelato flavors. From Goat Cheese Cashew Caramel, Sesame Fig Chocolate Chip, Mexican Hot Chocolate, and Whiskey Bacon. Or amazing sorbets like Cucumber Rosewater Sorbet (my favorite!), cranberry, and lychee. 
When we had Wilma in the summer, we came here nearly every day. Here are the pooches waiting patiently while I get our order:

 Walk with your dog east down Iowa street. This is a residential street where the neighbors work together to grow flowers and mini-gardens in the sidewalk areas.

This will lead you to Hoosier Mama Pie Company.

They're this tiny little shop that serves amazing pie. They're so good they've been featured in Bon Appetit; plus, they have 'flights of pie slices' each Friday. Our all time favorite is the peanut butter pie with gingersnap crust and the chocolate creme pie.

Walk down Chicago Avenue to Manee Thai to pick up a freshly blended bubble tea. Keep walking down Chicago Avenue until you get to La Farine Bakery. 

The owner has immersed himself in the art of bread baking and supplies bread for some of the top restaurants in Chicago. We get their ciabatta rolls on a nearly weekly basis, plus they have all these pastries:

You can even head across the street to Eckert Park to picnic and eat your wares. The one caveat for this tour is to make sure you have another human with you to actually go in and pick up the food. For several reasons, we will never leave our dogs tied up outside or unattended, if only for a minute. People don't realize how many dog thefts there are in the city; plus, there was this terrible story of a an older dog stolen from his locked kennel in the suburbs. I guess the only reason I don't weigh a million pounds is because I don't always have someone walking with me to watch the dogs while I go in to get the food.

Things to do with Your Dog in Chicago: Grilled Cheese and Family Walks

 We actually aren't used to having so much excitement with a real live SuperHero living in our midst, so it has been nice to fall back into our regular routine with our two pooches.
Miss M and I have a long-standing summer tradition of going to the Farmer's Market every Saturday morning. It dates back to when we were Bachelorettes together. Though with market season over, we have begun our winter traditions, and we even let Mr. B and E join in:

 Sunday mornings we all take a family walk together. Mr. B brings his backpack and we stop by our favorite bakery: La Farine .Plus, what could be cuter than a pooch with a roll of french bread sticking out of his backpack?

 

 We pick up bread, and often a fresh-baked pie from Hoosier Mama. The pooches just like to check out their own smiling faces:

 When we come home, E makes flights of mini-grilled cheese that we eat with soup and apple cider. Miss M especially likes watching the fire:

We miss all the summer action, but it is fun to have some winter traditions too. Anyone else have any good winter traditions with your pooches?

Family Walk: The Butcher, The Baker and the Coffee-Maker

Back when I was a single girl, I absolutely hated running errands. But when I met E, suddenly a standard trip to Home Depot became fun.

So imagine how much fun errands become when we can include our pooches too.

With the weekend temperatures reaching a nearly tropical 30+ degrees, we decided to load up Mr. B's backpack and run some errands while on our family walk.

The Butcher:

One of our favorite parts of living in the city is that we can support local businesses. We even have a local butcher; The Butcher and Larder is all locally sourced and cut to order. They've even thrown in some extra things (knucklebones!) when they see the pooches peering in their window.

The Baker:

For extra cold-days, we love making flights of grilled cheese, tomato soup, and lighting up the fireplace. So we were able to stop by the 'local baker'. La Farine has been considered the best ciabatta rolls in the city; we've had friends who told us they had dreams about the rolls after eating them. We also like their french bread, and what could be funnier than having french bread sticking out of your doggie backpack?

The Coffee Maker

Just like a movie where the characters leisurely stroll around, our errands are run with coffee in (E's) hand. Which is easier to do when walking just one pooch. We are lucky enough to have several local coffee shops near us, which are the perfect distance for a short trek, or a longer walk with the dogs.

As if all of this isn't enough to make us feel like we were living in a small village...we ran into some new friends who recognized our dogs from the blog. Thanks for saying hi! (Could you tell your attention totally made Miss M's week?)

We are always curious about how other people spend time with their dogs, what types of walks do you do with your pups?

 Also:
European-style errands with our dogs in a wine store!
Did you know dogs can shop here?
Running errands without dog parking.